Depression Danger
by Cometstrike
Summary: After being hit by energy from a strange black stone, Ratchet is plunged into one of his worst nightmares-and into a self made depression. He shuts himself off from his friends, wanting to relive his emotions by himself. However, can he manage to overcome his feelings himself or will he need help from a certain robot that means so much to him? Some RxC jabs here and there.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is my first multi-chapter Ratchet and Clank series...**_

_**So uh, yeah. A typical Ratchet and Clank wangst story...**_

_**Any feedback is appreciated :D**_

* * *

"So is this the place?"

"I believe that this is indeed Deprimere Caverns. We have arrived at our destination."

Ratchet stretched, arching his back like a cat with his tail curling up behind him. "Oh, good…took us forever to make it here, hopefully we'll find this 'ploy against the Polaris government', as Qwark put it. I don't get it though," His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked down at Clank. "Why would the guys who, apparently, want to put Qwark out of office purposely send him coordinates to here? More importantly, why'd he send us instead of law enforcement?

"I am assuming that he wanted to make sure that they were handled accordingly," Clank said, walking towards the entrance to the caverns. "However to answer your first question, I am sure they intend to set up a foil for whoever followed their transmission's signal."

Ratchet grinned like the Cheshire cat as he followed Clank. "Well then, we'll just have to see, won't we?"

Navigating through the caverns was fairly straight forward; there was a single, straight and sandy path that presumably lead to the end of the cave. Lit torches were lined on the walls, giving a fair amount of light, which they grew thankful for as they descended downwards. It wasn't until Ratchet bumped his head on the ceiling when he realized that the cave's ceiling had gradually gotten lower as they went deeper down. The lombax rubbed his head.

"Uh, ow? Clank, the ceiling's getting smaller..." Ratchet whispered, squatting slightly.

"If need be, I will continue on by myself if you cannot go any farther." The robot replied neutrally, still walking slightly ahead of the lombax .

For some reason, this bothered Ratchet.

"N…never mind, I'll crawl if I have to." The lombax replied quickly. "Besides, I can still keep going right now."

Curious, Clank turned to face his friend. He'd sensed the sudden change in his friend's tone- Ratchet had been fine until Clank had mentioned splitting up. Now the lombax was solemn, and Clank could see faint sadness in his eyes even in the dim light. Just as the robot prepared to ask his friend what was wrong, he was picked up and placed on the lombax's back.

"Just to make sure we don't get separated." Ratchet explained, getting down and lying prone. "We don't know what's ahead of us."

Now that was even more perplexing...previously, Ratchet had expressed an amusing amount of readiness and bravado at the prospect of meeting potentially dangerous, and no doubt life-threatening, scenarios. Now the situation was oddly paralleled, with him withdrawing to the point where his earlier mindset had completely vanished, having been replaced with a melancholic and worried one. So what was different? The scenarios were so similar…but he hadn't mentioned separating earlier had he?

No, he hadn't. But it would still be a strange reason as to why his friend suddenly got upset; they'd left each other's paths so much that it was beginning to be a common staple in each and every one of their adventures. _Well actually, not all of them_, Clank realized.

_I was not there during my two year stay at the Great Clock. Tawlyn did inform me that Ratchet was acting uncharacteristically miserable while he was out searching for me, no doubt because I wasn't there with him. He was so…_Clank paused.

_…so happy when he had found me again. The happiest I have ever seen him, and we have definitely gotten closer as friends since that incident. But…is that the reason why he does not want me to leave his occupation, out of fear that I may be kidnapped again? _

_Or is it something else?_

"Hey Clank, tell me if the ceiling's too close to your eyes." Ratchet's voice said, breaking the robot out of his thoughts. He was crawling flat on his stomach. "It's getting kind of narrow in here, but I think I can see light at the end…"

Clank didn't respond, listening to the tone of Ratchet's voice. It was a bit happier than it had been a moment ago, and didn't sound as worried.

_Now that he can feel me on his back._

Ratchet tilted his ears back until they touched the top of Clank's head. "Buddy? You doin' all right, you got awfully quiet."

"I am fine, I am just…thinking." Clank replied.

"Well, don't think too hard," Ratchet joked. "You might bust a sprocket."

Ah, well at least he was joking again. That was a good sign.

It was then Clank registered that his head was dangerously close, less than an inch from the low ceiling. He had been so preoccupied with his friend he hadn't noticed the ceiling getting closer! Just as he was about to call out to Ratchet, the lombax squeezed himself carefully out of the tunnel.

"Woo, tight fit!" Ratchet whistled, getting up and stretching his back. Clank felt several vibrations near Ratchet's back and was a tad bit confused as to what caused them at first. Oh, right. Ratchet was an organic-which meant he had bones, the cast-like structure in his body.

Under pressure they tend to pop if the creature moves in a certain way and it is apparently done as some sort of way to relive stress. He realized after seeing Ratchet stretch so many times, he never really considered asking why.

"OAUgh, that felt good." Ratchet almost sang, oblivious to Clank's heavy contemplating. The lombax looked around; they were in a large circular room that, like the caverns before, had torches lining its perimeter. There was a large sandy circle dug out in the middle, positioned several feet in front of a large chunk of black stone, which appeared to be black onyx. Ratchet looked at the stone, walking towards it. "Whoa, check this out, Clank! There's a huge black rock here!" He stopped right in front of the tan circle, still looking at the giant rock.

Clank unlatched himself and observed it carefully. It stood at about fifteen feet and seven inches tall and had no defined shape, with uneven ridges and crevasses on it. At the moment, it didn't seem dangerous, and if anything it seemed imposing.

"Know what that is? I don't." Ratchet said, enthralled and almost sounding like a little kid. "Never seen anything like it."

He took one more step forward, into the sandy ring.

Suddenly, the room flashed a white tint, almost blinding the duo. Shielding his eyes, Ratchet yelled, "What's going on?!"

Then, a black beam of energy shot lightning fast out of the stone and struck him directly in the chest. He yelped in surprise, then it quickly turned into a piercing cry as the shaft of light increased size. Alarmed, Clank watched as Ratchet sunk to his knees, pulling down on his ears as he screamed.

"Ratchet!" Clank cried. He didn't dare try to get any closer while that beam of light was still hitting the lombax.

"Clank…run..before…it…hits you too!" Ratchet ground out. His eyes were screwed shut, and it felt like every pore of his body was on fire. "_Go_!"

"No, I will not leave you!" Clank told him firmly, wincing slightly as Ratchet cried out again. The energy, or whatever it was, seemed to be taking a toll on Ratchet; with every passing second, the lombax's cries got weaker and weaker. Clank could only stand as close as he could, which was about five feet, and watch, worried. Then finally, it stopped.

Ratchet had still been on his knees, and as he teetered, unbalanced, he began to fall forward; if Clank hadn't been there to catch him, he would've hit the ground. The robot managed to flip Ratchet on his back, then dragged him as gently and quickly as he could away from shooting distance of the rock. When they were near the hole in which they had come through, Clank turned his attention to Ratchet, who hadn't said anything yet- which was strange, since his eyes were wide open, staring up at the ceiling.

"Ratchet?" A worried look settled on the robot's face as he stood over the lombax. "Ratchet!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Ratchet? Ratchet!"

Hearing his name being called, the golden lombax blinked and realized that his vision was very bleary at the moment. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes. "Ugh, Clank? That you?"

"Of course it is, you numbskull." Came the answer.

Ratchet's hands paused over his eyes, and he lowered them as he looked down at Clank, who was glaring at him. "Uh-"

"If you so happen to know, you were knocked out by that stupid rock you were so mystified about," Clank continued, obviously upset. "Of course, you just so had to get close to it, right? Didn't the big, brown circle in the middle at least send of warning bells as being suspicious?"

Ratchet stared down at the robot, majorly stupefied. He'd never really seen Clank mad at him, not like this. And that's what it was-he could tell Clank from when he was angry and when he was annoyed, but right know he definitely wasn't annoyed. And…it surprisingly had hurt him when Clank called him a numbskull…he'd said it with pure contempt, not with irritability. It was strange.

"Clank-I-" Ratchet began, but Clank cut him off. "That is what I dislike about you, Ratchet. You are far too careless. You could've been killed."

Ratchet was about to reply that he _could've_ been but _wasn't_ , but Clank's next comment made his heart drop:"I am starting to think that you are better off dead, the way that you act so recklessly."

A hurt look passed over the lombax's face, and his ears slowly but surely sank downwards. Clank would've raised an eyebrow if he had one.

"Clank…buddy…do you really mean that?" Ratchet asked quietly.

"Of course I do."

Ratchet's hurt look was replaced with a surprised and, if one were to look closely, angry one. Taking his hands off his hips, Clank huffed and started towards the hole.

"Where're you going?" Ratchet asked half-heartedly, still upset and a bit sad.

Clank didn't answer him; instead he disappeared through the hole.

"Hey! Clank!" Ratchet called, panicking a bit- This looked familiar, way too familiar. The lombax jumped up squeezing through the hole as well. He could barely make out the red bulb on the end of Clank's antennae, then saw a pair of green dots turn and watch him for a moment, then turn to face forward again. Crawling forward as fast as he could, Ratchet called, "Clank! Where are you going? _We have work to do_!"

A few seconds later, he heard the metallic footsteps increase their pace. Now thoroughly annoyed, Ratchet managed to make it to where he could stand up slightly, and began running. The hunch in his back lessened as he traveled further back up and he finally made it to where he could run with worrying about his head hitting the ceiling. In addition to that, he could clearly make out Clank running a little bit ahead of him. Frowning in determination, Ratchet increased his speed, effortlessly catching up with the small robot. "-Clank! Stop!"

"Kiss my back-end processer!"

"-You little!"

Right when he felt the lombax bearing down on him, Clank squatted then sprang up, dodging the lombax's grabbing hands. He was satisfied when he heard Ratchet crash to the ground with a loud grunt as he tried to dive for the robot. "OOff!"

Clank tapped to the ground and took off running again. With a groan, Ratchet lifted his already aching head up and saw Clank vanish through the cavern's exit. Hopping up he ran after the robot just in time to see him clearing a gap across a ravine; they'd crossed over it earlier to get to Deprimere Caverns, and Ratchet had needed Clank's Levitator ability to get across. Now Clank was floating across the gap to Aphelion, minus the lombax attached to his back.

"_CLANK!_" Ratchet yelled nervously. "I-Where are you-why are you running from me?!"

Clank touched down on Aphelion's nose, where he turned and faced Ratchet. The lombax started breathing in a labored manner, and it wasn't from that short jog he'd just had. "Clank…what are you doing? I can't get across this myself... " He swallowed nervously. "You're-you're leaving me behind…"

"That is what I intended to do." Clank snapped harshly. He was happy to see Ratchet flinch, his ears dropping even lower along with his shoulders.

"Clank….why? I know I made a mistake and got you worried, but you're leaving me?" Ratchet muttered at the ground, dazed.

"You didn't worry me." Clank told him. Ratchet looked up, his eyes glistening.

He was alarmed to see that the robot's eyes had turned a deep red, and his tone changed to a very ruthless and unfriendly one.

"You didn't worry me because I didn't care. I never cared for you, Ratchet. Just face it."

Ratchet shook his head, looking at the ground. "My dream…"

"No, your _nightmare_."

Ratchet's head snapped up. "How do you know about the nightmare that I had?!"

"The nightmare that you had about me leaving you all by yourself? The nightmare about you wandering aimlessly through the galaxies, searching for me for ages and ages? The nightmare that you had about you remaining alone and friendless for the rest of your pathetic life? Why are you shaking your head?"

Ratchet had indeed been shaking his head, trying to clear his mind; this couldn't be happening.

"You ask me how I know and you woke me up from hibernation mode with your perpetual screaming? I'm not stupid." Clank told him. He turned and jumped into Aphelion's cockpit. "I'm not your friend, Ratchet, and I never was. Now, I will make that nightmare of yours come true."

"You're an imposter!"

Clank scoffed. "Really? Remember how you turned my imposter into a vacuum cleaner? And Dr. Nefarious would not dare to create another clone of me."

Ratchet fell silent, feeling tears leaking out of his eyes. No, this wasn't happening. Clank would never leave him. He promised he never would. He promised.

"You said you wouldn't leave me," Ratchet told Clank in a shaking voice. "Y-You s-said that you wouldn't leave me. I need you, Clank…you're the only family I have…without you, I'm alone…"

Clank was busy tapping coordinates onto Aphelion's dashboard. "Yeah, well. I guess you will just have to find new family. Goodbye, Ratchet. I have an oil bath scheduled at 4:00 PM Solonian time, and I don't want to have to pay a late fee."

"No-you promised!" Ratchet told him, his voice getting louder. "You promised!"

The ship's cockpit closed, and began lifting up. Ratchet's face was soaking wet with tears as he screamed at the retreating ship,**_ "YOU PROMISED!"_**

* * *

Now he was in the circular room again, sitting as far as he could from the rock. He was lying on his side with his tail wrapped around him. His head was resting on his hands.

Never before had Ratchet cried so much. The puddle of tears that had formed underneath him was soaking his fur through his clothes, and it had grown so that it pooled underneath the top half of his body.

"Clank…Clank…Clank…please come back…." Ratchet muttered, hugging himself. His back felt very naked. "Please…"

He lifted his head up and looked around blearily; no one was there. It was just himself. Alone. Friendless.

"Like the first fifteen years of my life." Ratchet muttered, dropping his head with a wet splash back in the puddle.

Then-

"Ratchet? Are you all right?"

Ratchet's ears flew up as he swung to face the voice. There was Clank, floating right in front of him! It was oddly…familiar in a way.

The lombax jumped up. "Clank!"

"I am sorry, but I have duties to tend to. I must leave you, Ratchet." The robot said as he started to disappear. "Bye, Ratchet…goodbye…"

"NO! _CLANK_!" Ratchet cried, shooting forward to grab his friend-but he only grabbed air, crashing to the ground.

He put his hands to his head, trembling.

"Not again…" Ratchet muttered. "Please, not again…"

His body suddenly felt tired. He felt tired. He sank down to the floor, tears streaming out of his face

"Clank…please don't leave me…"

Ratchet cried himself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ratchet. Ratchet!"

Clank stood in front of his friend, hoping to snap him out of whatever trance he was in. Up until recently, he had been very unresponsive. At first, Clank had pressed his head to Ratchet's chest, afraid of what he might not hear. But, his heart had been beating, which at least meant that he hadn't been killed by whatever hit him. That was good enough for Clank, and he began assessing the rest of his friend's injuries. His uniform was understandably burnt in some parts, but besides that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But strangely, Ratchet's eyes still remained open the entire time with his pupils constricted to pinpoints.

Clank walked to Ratchet's head and waved his hand in front of his friend's face. He didn't get a reaction. Turning away, Clank thought aloud to himself.

"This is strange…I have never seen him like this…is he asleep? He is not responding to me, and he is alive because his heart is beating..." He twisted his head around at the sound of something moving.

Ratchet had just moved on his own account, probably subconsciously, into a fetal position on his side with his tail twitching every now and again.

_Is he dreaming? _Clank wondered._ I did not know organic beings could dream, let alone sleep with their eyes open. Maybe lombaxes can?_

It surprised him slightly when he heard Ratchet mutter something in his dream-like state. It sounded like his name, almost. Was he dreaming about him?

Clank moved closer to Ratchet, who'd rolled onto his back. "Ratchet?"

"….Clank…."

Clank moved forward quickly, positioning himself on Ratchet's front. It appeared he was still 'asleep' because he didn't respond when he felt Clank on him.

"…he probably said my name in response to me calling his. Maybe he is waking up…" Clank muttered to himself. He started repeating the lombax's name, over and over again. "Ratchet. Ratchet. Ratchet. RATCHET."

The lombax's mouth moved slowly, forming silent and unintelligible words.

Clank grabbed the front of his friend's shirt and started tugging on it. "Ratchet, wake up. You are starting to worry me! Please, wake up!"

"….Clank?" Ratchet mumbled, still staring up at the ceiling. "…are you there?"

"Yes, it's me!" Clank told him. "Ratchet, it's me, Clank! I am here with you, remember! I promised I would always stay by your side!"

That seemed to do it. Something switched like a light bulb in the Lombax's head, and Clank saw his darkened pupils slowly growing back to their normal size. Ratchet lifted his head up, seeing the robot straddling his chest . "Clank?"

"Yes, Ratchet?" Clank asked, trying to hide the worry that had made itself present on his face. "Are you awake? You seemed to have-"

_**"CLANK!"**_

The robot was suddenly engulfed by the lombax's body as Ratchet pulled him into a tight hug. "Umhph! It appears you have woken up, then."

"Clank…" Ratchet murmured, and Clank felt him beginning to rock from side to side. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, Ratchet, I am here, like I always am and will be."

Ratchet lifted his head from the robot and looked down at him, smiling slightly. "That's all I need to know."

"Are you all right? You seem to be a bit…shell shocked…"

Ratchet stood up, still holding Clank tightly. "Well, I…I'm fine. I just…had a weird dream, is all."

"Maybe we should fall back for a period of rest? Until you feel better?" Clank suggested.

"Y-Yeah, that sounds good to me. There's…nothing here, anyway…" Ratchet said, glancing back at the giant black stone. Clank felt a slight vibration run through the lombax's body as he did so. "So let's just…go give Tawlyn a visit, buddy."

There was silence for a brief moment as Ratchet stood holding Clank, rocking slowly. After a minute, Clank twisted his head up to look at Ratchet; his eyes were closed. Clank made a slight effort to get the lombax to release his hold by pushing gently on his arms, but he didn't budge. He couldn't even get the strength to make Ratchet move anyway without damaging the servos in his arm. So he just sat there, staring at his friend's closed eyes-that strangely had fluid leaking from them. He could barley register it, but he could see it-crystal-clear, lining the edge of the lombax's closed eyelids.

It confused him for a moment. He hadn't seen anything like it from Ratchet over the years, but he had remembered seeing something like it come from Qwark, while they were sitting down and watching Lance and Janice's season one finale. That time, it appeared that he had…water, or H20, leaking from his eyes in streams. At the time, Clank had passed it off as a side effect of drinking too much soda, but when he questioned Ratchet about it later, it appeared that it wasn't practical.

_"…what, when we were watching Lance and Janice? Oh, yeah," It was there Ratchet chuckled a bit. "They're called tears, pal. When you see tears coming from someone, that means they're crying."_

_"But…I registered what you call 'tears' as dihydrogen monoxide," Clank had replied, seeing Ratchet's ears perk up in confusion. "So does that mean whenever it rains, the sky is crying? "_

_ "Dihydrogen monoxide? Oh," Ratchet had muttered. "Water. Well, pal, let me rephrase that. Only things with feelings can cry. That wouldn't include the sky."_

_"So what induces or influences crying? It seems to be associated with high levels of stress or depression."_

_"Yup, you're right," Ratchet had told him. "People cry when they're upset or sad. Usually, it happens when they can't handle something physiologically. In your words, emotional stress."_

_"Oh." Clank had paused, processing the new information given to him, when he'd suddenly realized something._

_"Why have I not seen you cry?"_

_At that point, he noticed that the lombax suddenly looked slightly uneasy; not only that, but his body language changed in a way that suggested that he wasn't comfortable. The changes were slight, but Clank noticed them. This only intrigued him even more, and he continued, hoping to find the source of whatever was making his friend anxious. _

_"I have seen you under emotional stress many times on our adventures, but you almost always respond with irritation or rage," Clank told him. "…either of those, in addition to violence."_

_Ratchet had been silent for a moment, staring at Clank intently. Then he simply said: "I don't have time to cry."_

_"Why not?"_

_"I-I just don't okay?" Ratchet had told him wearily. Then he sighed. "A galactic hero such as myself…doesn't have room for tears. They slow you down too much, and the way our lives are, we don't have time to be getting slowed down. By anything."_

_Clank squinted at Ratchet, knowing that he wasn't telling him the full truth._

_"What?"_

_"….nothing." Clank had said, deciding to leave Ratchet alone about him crying. Instead, he asked, "Can I cry?"_

_ Ratchet had given him a half amused, half quizzical look. "Uh, I really don't know. I mean, you definitely have feelings. That's what makes you different from most robots," He sat back with his arms folded behind his head, looking at the ceiling. "But I really don't know. You would have to tell me."_

_"I have never cried, so I do not think I can," Clank concluded. "But that does not mean I really can't."_

_"Well, you're a tough little guy," Ratchet had told him, affectionately jostling his antennae. "I doubt I'll ever see you cry."_

_"I will go and say the same thing to you, Ratchet." Clank had replied, laughing a bit at the tickling sensation._

_Ratchet had smiled at him. "Yeah pal, maybe…"_


	4. Chapter 4

_Yeah pal, maybe..._

_So why,_ Clank thought as they traveled to the Apogee Space Station later that day, _did I see Ratchet doing what he said he did not do?_

_He was crying, that is for sure. It happened right after he woke up. I remember him stating that crying is induced by emotional trauma. So what could have happened that would place him under that much stress?_

Clank snuck a glance over at Ratchet. He hadn't said a word ever since they were in the caverns, and he seemed to be distant. His eyes were focused ahead, but he really didn't seem to be paying attention, save for when a stray asteroid or piece of space junk flew in their path.

_He did mention something about a dream, _Clank thought_. He must have been under a trance after being struck by that strange rock that was stationed in the room. Ratchet was so relieved to see me after he woke up..._

_ Wait...that reminds me..._

Several days before they were given the task of scoping out Deprimere Caverns, Ratchet had woken him out of recharging during the night. At first, he had thought that several Horny Toads had gotten into their garage/house during the night and were making a ruckus (due to them being on Veldin), but he soon realized that it was Ratchet was whimpering and crying in his room.

Quickly Clank had gotten down from his position on the Ratchet's workbench and ran to his room. There he saw the lombax tangled up in his sheets, occasionally whining and making a grabbing motion in his sleep.

Clank immediately knew that Ratchet was having a nightmare. He had those occasionally, waking up screaming in the middle of the night or sometimes losing his position on the bed to the floor. Clank had witnessed them during the lombax's teenage years, but noticed an increase in them after their Great Clock adventure. But this one seemed different- it seemed like he was trying to catch something or keep something in his grasp; In the ones in the past, he wasn't as this physical... apparently, it was important to him or else the lombax wouldn't be lamenting this heavily.

So the robot decided to wake him up, not liking seeing his friend like this. He had jumped on the bed, placing his hands on Ratchet's striped shoulder, shaking him.

"Ratchet. Wake up, you are having a bad dream-" He ducked as one of the lombax's fists swung through the air in his general direction, but not close enough to hit him.

_"Leave him_**_ ALONE!_**_"_

Clank adjusted his hearing receptors to a lower frequency, due to the decibel Ratchet's voice had been at as he screamed. Once again, he shook Ratchet again, trying to wake him up. The next time he saw a fist headed for his face again, he did the Matrix, almost toppling backwards off the bed.

"Ratchet, wake up! It's me, Clank!"

That seemed to work; Ratchet had stopped thrashing for a moment and relaxed, but still not waking up. Well, at least he wasn't trying to whack Clank in the face anymore. The robot shook Ratchet again gently. After awhile, he saw Ratchet's eyes crack open, seeing a sliver of green underneath his eyelids. "Huh…wha…"

"Ratchet." Clank said, a bit louder.

He saw the feline's eyes pop open and focus on him. Suddenly he felt his feet leave the bed as Ratchet tackled him to the floor. "CLANK!"

"Uhh!"

"Pal…"

"You were having a nightmare, Ratchet-"

"I sure as hell was, buddy. You know why?"

_Because you weren't there…_

Clank remembered the rest of the lombax's words. He knew that Ratchet had dreamed about being cut off from him, but in what form or fashion he didn't know. All he knew is that it upset his friend, and he was there to prove that Ratchet's subconscious was playing a trick on him.

After then, Ratchet had dismissed the nightmare, joking about it later to Clank. But now, he was in the exact mood he had been proceeding it. The only difference was, it seemed worse.

"…Ratchet?"

"Hm?"

"Are you all right?"

He heard a sharp gasp leave Ratchet, but when he looked over, the lombax's mouth was already closed and his expression was mostly passive-though Clank could just barely see anxiety playing on the lombax's face.

"Yyes, I'm fine. Just tired, is all." He glanced down at Clank, and the robot briefly saw his friend's slightly worried expression.

Clank turned back to the front silently, seeing the faint ring created by the Nundac Asteroid Field, and in the middle, the Apogee Space Station. While they were there, he would ask Tawlyn about what she thought of Ratchet's strange behavior.

"…w-why do you ask?"

"Just…curious." Clank answered, still facing forward.

"You have been acting quite strange." a voice from the control panel said. Ratchet looked down at it.

"What? Aphelion, whaddya mean? How have I been acting weird?"

"One glaringly obvious thing-you're far too quiet," the space ship stated.

Ratchet rolled his eyes.

"I saw that-and two, I can feel your hands shaking on my controls; you've been trembling ever since you two got in. Three, you're barely paying attention to what's in front of us. All those times we had to evade something,_ I_ had to move myself instead of letting_ you_ control me…"

This caught Clank's attention, and he gave Ratchet a suspicious look. The lombax looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his head, avoiding the robot's glare.

"...four, I'm reading your body language and it clearly broadcasts that something's on your mind." Aphelion finished. She shook from side to side, as if she were shaking her head. "Ratchet…"

"…you never were good at hiding your emotions," she finished, accompanied by Clank.

Ratchet let out an exasperated sigh. "We're here." They were in fact at their destination, and Ratchet landed Aphelion down. However when he tried opening the cockpit, he found that he couldn't. Confused, he pushed on the glass, then tried opening it again from the button on the control panel, but then he realized no matter how hard he pressed it, it wouldn't push down. Confused, he tilted his head to the side slightly. "Uh, Clank? It won't…" Then it hit him.

"Aphelion, let us out!"

"No!"

"What?! Why not?"

"Not until you tell us what's the matter!"

"Ugh…"

Ratchet slumped down in his seat, his arms folded. Clank sighed. They were going to be in here forever.

Well, no.

Ratchet will.

He looked down, unbuckling his seatbelt. He saw that Ratchet had not undone his yet, and he'd probably be furious when he realized he couldn't get out even if the cockpit was open. Chuckling to himself, Clank pressed the button and the glass cover opened up with a hiss. Ratchet sat up. "Hey-how'd you-what the-" He tried undoing the latch on his seatbelt, but like the button that wouldn't work, he couldn't press down on it. She had locked his seatbelt as well. "Oh, come on!"

"You're free to go, Clank." Aphelion said in a cheerful voice.

Clank jumped out of Aphelion, sliding to the ground. "I will go get Miss Apogee and she will be here momentarily." He walked to a nearby teleporter and disappeared.

Aphelion heard growling in her pilot's seat, low at first, then getting progressively louder. If she could, she would have sighed. Ratchet, like most other lombaxes, had a stubborn streak in him and would rather sit here instead of admitting what was wrong. She felt him tugging on her seatbelt for a minute, then felt something digging into it. She turned on her primary camera, set behind the pilot's seat; she saw his head bent over, occasionally jerking back. Quickly, she switched to the view in front of him and was furious to see him nibbling on his bonds with the triangular shaped fangs in his mouth. "Ratchet!"

She tightened the belt sharply against his thin chest, snapping him back to the seat; his breath left him in a sharp gust. "WOOF!"

For a moment, Aphelion thought that she'd accidentally hurt him; he was a bit on the small side, after all. But after he had recovered he started complaining loudly about being trapped against his own will. Right now, he could only move his legs and his head; his arms were pinned to his sides.

He was still going on a few minutes later when Clank arrived with Tawlyn. He was too busy rambling he didn't notice them at first.

"…can't believe this, I can't even get outta my own ship without being held hostage, all I wanna do is just go get some rest, but nooooo…I'm kinda hungry now, but since I'm trapped I'm gonna starve to death...this is on too tight, I can't move my tail, my tail's crammed up my a-"

"Ratchet?"

The lombax's head snapped up, his eyes widening in surprise. "Tawlyn?"

"So I've heard you've been quiet," The markazian started immediately, putting her hands on her hips. "Doesn't seem like that to me now."

"He was unlike that on the way here." Clank said. "Aphelion, please release him so that he may cooperate."

The ship was silent for a moment. The lombax had been silenced by the new company, but she knew him well enough to know when he was planning something devious. For instance, right now his ears were pointed upwards in a horn-like fashion, a trait she was used to seeing in lombaxes before she had been grounded on Fastoon after the Great War. It almost always meant that something sneaky was on their minds, as she would usually see from their next actions. So now, it wasn't sitting well with her to let him go just yet.

"…well…I…" The ship said quietly. "…that doesn't seem like a good idea to me…"

"Why not?" Clank asked. Had he seen Ratchet's expression at that moment, he would have totally sided with Aphelion. But, he was on the ground and couldn't see inside the ship very well. Tawlyn, however, was a bit suspicious of the look on the lombax's face.

"Ratchet, why are you smiling like that?" Tawlyn asked, squinting at him.

"Huh, what? Oh, I…nothing." Ratchet told her, the toothy grin disappearing off his face. However…his ears stayed pointed up. "I guess I'm just ready to have my freedom back!" He raised his voice gradually at the last part, eyeing the control panel.

"Better release him, Aphelion." the female marzakian stated. "I think he's going a bit nuts in there."

"…okay…" the ship muttered, still unsure. Reluctantly she loosened the belt from Ratchet's chest, allowing him to move his arms to unbuckle the seat belt. He hopped out, landing on the ground. As the cockpit closed he straightened up to face Clank and Tawlyn. For a moment, they all stared at each other. Then Tawlyn asked,

"So…what's the matter?"

**_"LEVIATHAN!"_** Ratchet screamed, pointing behind them and pulling his wrench out for a good measure. Clank and Tawlyn swung around quickly, and that was all the opening the lombax needed. Aphelion, however, was facing the same direction as Ratchet.

"No, watch out! _He's trying to trick you_!"

Tawlyn and Clank had already found that there was nothing behind them, but as they turned, Ratchet bolted past them, his agility allowing him to sidestep them and leap into the teleporter in one fluid movement.

Tawlyn's head snapped back to the teleporter. "Clank, come on, he's in the Space Station!"

* * *

Ratchet pounded down the hallways of the Space Station, hoping to find a hiding spot where he could just be by himself. Ever since that awfully real vision he had at Deprimere Caverns, he had been holding in all of his emotions. He just wanted to find a place, hide, cry, and feel better. Then everything would be solved. He couldn't, just couldn't, cry in front of his friends. They weren't supposed to see him cry. He was supposed to be a very independent person, save for when Clank accompanied him, which was almost 24/7. But not even Clank should see him. It would worry him, and Ratchet didn't like seeing Clank worried.

Nobody had seem him cry as he was growing up, they weren't going to see him cry as an adult.

He thought about the vision again, and felt tears crack at his eyelids. _Oh no-they were coming!_

_Don't think about it yet, don't think about it yet, wait until you're by yourself, Ratchet, by yourself…_

"Hey, rookie! How's business doing with ya-"

"Hey, Ratchet!"

Feeling like a real jerk, Ratchet didn't answer the two warbots and instead plowed right through them without a word, still going full steam down the hallway without breaking his pace. They couldn't see him like this, they'd tell Clank and Tawlyn...

He heard them crash into opposite walls and them fussing at each other.

"You dern fool, lookit what you've done-"

"I didn't do anything, you old pile of nuts and bolts! I bet it was your ugly face that scared him off!"

"Keep quiet, duck face, here comes Miss Apogee and that little youngin'-"

Ratchet's heart sped up; they were gaining on him. Tawlyn did have a jet pack, but he'd thought it was used for lift, not speed. Wait-

He had his hoverboots on! He could use them.

In the next second, he was streaking down the hallways at top speed, looking left and right for a suitable emo corner. He glanced in a room as he passed it, then backtracked and got a good in it; it was big enough for him to hide in and small enough as to where they wouldn't think to look in there for him. In addition to that, it seemed to be a supply closet. Perfect.

Ratchet hovered in, then turned his boots off. He shut the door quickly, then started piling boxes and equipment near the entrance, blocking it off. He was completely in the dark now. He pressed his ear to the wall, listening closely. For a moment, he didn't hear anything. Then-

"…don't know where he went, Miss Apogee…he blew right past us without a word…"

"Well, split up and find him, he couldn't have gotten far…"

Ratchet heard them coming down the hallway of the room he was in. There were several other rooms than this one, but they still had the chance of looking in this one. He heard footsteps heading his way, pause near the door, and the handle jiggling. Swearing silently, Ratchet bounded into the corner behind some spare ship parts, hiding behind them. Only his ears stuck out, so he lowered them and peeked over. The door opened a bit, and Ratchet retreated farther down.

"What the…oh, just great. A cluttered up storage closet," A voice he recognized as Tawlyn's said. "No way he could've made it past all this…"

Ratchet was too busy sighing in relief to hear the resounding click after the door shut. "Finally."

He went lay down in the middle of the room, curling up like a cat, letting the events of the day get to him.

_That is what I dislike about you, Ratchet. You are far too careless. You could've been killed._

_I am starting to think that you are better off dead, the way that you act so recklessly._

The corners of Ratchet's eyes started tearing up.

_Clank…buddy…do you really mean that?_

_Of course I do._

It seemed so real for a moment he thought that it had been…of course it wasn't real.

That didn't stop the tears from leaking from his eyes, though.

_Clank…what are you doing? I can't get across this myself…you're-you're leaving me behind…_

_That is what I intended to do._

_I know I made a mistake and got you worried, but you're leaving me?_

_You didn't worry me; you didn't worry me because I didn't care. I never cared for you, Ratchet. Just face it."_

Ratchet drew in a shuddering breath, now letting the tears to flow freely. He sniffled a bit.

_My dream…_

_No, your __**nightmare**__._

"S-stupid…night…mare…" Ratchet whispered out in a hiss. He buried his head in his arms.

_The nightmare that you had about me leaving you all by yourself? The nightmare about you wandering aimlessly through the galaxies, searching for me for ages and ages? The nightmare that you had about you remaining alone and friendless for the rest of your pathetic life?_

The lombax whimpered, pulling on his ears, shaking his head. His body started trembling. Clank would never leave him. He promised he never would. He promised.

_Y-You s-said that you wouldn't leave me. I need you, Clank…you're the only family I have…without you, I'm alone!_

"Alone…."

_No-you promised! You promised! __**YOU PROMISED!**_

"He…p-promised…." Ratchet sniffled, then started bawling harder than he ever had before.

* * *

_THREE HOURS LATER..._

"It's been three hours, and we still haven't seen any sign of him yet…" Tawlyn said. She sighed, running her hands through her hair. "Ugghhhh. He still has to be here because we've blocked off all the teleporters, all of our ships are offline, and Aphelion hasn't seen him outside."

"We must be overlooking his position," Clank stated. "He cannot be anywhere that we have checked, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be in the most obvious places."

"Are you saying he's in my fishin' hole?" Zephyr shouted. He clanked off down the hallway, raging up a storm about hairballs clogging up the waterway.

"Hmm. I didn't think he'd be underwater, we did leave the aqueduct open…" Tawlyn said thoughtfully.

"Maybe, but I do not remember him bringing his O2 mask with him today." Clank said. He walked down the hallway that they were in, with Tawlyn trailing close behind.

"Where could he be? We must recheck every room again." Clank said determinedly. "I am worried for his wellbeing. I…I could tell something was bothering him while we were at Deprimere Caverns…"

"While we're searching, you mind telling me what exactly happened?" Tawlyn asked.

"Of course-"

"WELL, hel-LO, _nurse_!"

Tawlyn suddenly felt huge hands clap down on her shoulder. Instinctively, she elbowed the stranger as hard as she could, hearing them grunt. The hands lifted off her shoulders; while they were stunned, she pulled her blaster out and swung to face them, her hand on the trigger. "Freeze!"

"No harm, Tawlyn. It is only Captain Qwark." Clank told her. The green superhero had indeed been standing behind the female Markazian.

"Yeah, who else? _Ow_!" Qwark said, bent over and clutching the area around his lower torso/crotch area. "That's one sharp ass elbow you've got there!"

"Well, don't sneak up on me! Ah-"She sighed, dragging a hand down her face. She turned to Clank. "…okay, _why_ is he even _here_?"

"I contacted him to help us with our search. I thought that he could persuade Ratchet to come out of hiding," Clank told her.

Tawlyn's eyebrows flew up. "Him? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure Qwark is capable." Clank said matter-of-factly.

"So, what's up with Ratchet?" Qwark asked. "I know he was angsty as a teenager, but he's practically a fossil now and he's still having his emo moments? Come on, he needs to man up..like _moi_."

"Whatever. Just…find another hallway to search down and contact us if you see any sign of him." Tawlyn said, walking away.

"What? By myself? What if the little furry guy jumps out at me and attacks me? Has he had his rabies shot?"

Tawlyn turned shooting daggers at him, her hand fingering the trigger if her blaster.

In the next second, there was only a space of empty air where the green super hero had been.

* * *

Ratchet had been crying for a good three hours straight, until most of his angst had worn off. He had cried a bigger pool of tears than he had in his vision, this one covering the ground at a two-foot radius all around him. Now the lombax was exhausted, lying on his side in the dark, staring ahead into nothing. He knew that his friends must've been worried sick about him. But now, at least he felt a lot better now that he let his emotions loose.

Ratchet sat up with a groan, sniffling slightly. He put his hand on the ground and pushed himself up, wobbling unsteadily on his feet. Feeling his way around, he started pulling the barricade apart, dragging the material in whatever ways from the door. Once the path was clear, he braced his shoulders, preparing to open the door and be bombarded by those searching for him. But-

"What the-the door won't open!"

He gripped the handle harder, yanking on it as hard as he could. It still wouldn't budge.

Ratchet's left eyebrow jumped up as he stared at the door handle in his hand. "Is the door locked? Did I lock it?" He pulled out his Omniwrench, clamped it on the knob, and twisted it. For a second, it seemed like it would work-the knob started turning slowly-but then, it flew off the door. Ratchet, his wrench, and the detached doorknob went flying backwards, slamming into a wall.

"_AAAAAHHH-_OOFF!"

Ratchet shook his head, trying to stop the stars that were circling his head. "Aw, crap…"

He tilted his head back until it hit the wall with a dull thud.

_"I'm stuck like Chuck…"_


	5. Chapter 5

_30 minutes later..._

Ratchet paced back and forth in the dark, his hands clamped together behind his back. "Way to go, Ratchet," he muttered to himself. "You got yourself locked in a freaking supply closet. Somehow, _this seems normal!"_

He paused, his striped tail swaying side to side in slight irritation. "Now, to make this entire situation better, nobody knows where the hell I'm at, nobody's going to try to look in a crowded storage closet and if they do, I'll probably be dead from starvation then! Oh and,"

He threw his hands up. "This is all my fault!"

Ratchet had altered his pacing path slightly, moving around in a large circle instead of going from end to end of the room. As he'd been talking he almost completed a revolution-but, he ended up straying in the path of the broken doorknob. Of course he couldn't see it because he was in the dark.

"Huuh? _WHOA!"_ The lombax stepped on the ovular doorknob, comically flipping twice in the air, and landing hard, flat on his back.

_"OOOF! __**SON OF A QWARK!"**_

* * *

Captain Qwark paused, looking up at the ceiling. "Somebody…just say something? Why, I'm so famous, even the paneling knows my name!"

* * *

"Screw…me…" Ratchet muttered, massaging his back with his hands. "I'm gonna be feeling that for awhile."

His ears perked up suddenly, hearing a low, growling sound somewhere close by. Cautiously he got up, his hand instinctively pulling out his wrench. It took him about a minute to realize it was coming from around his midsection.

"…oh, it's just my stomach grumbling…" Ratchet groaned, leaning back on a wall and resting his hands over it. "Great. Another problem for me to deal with."

For at least the next five minutes the lombax sat slumped backwards on the wall, his sensitive ears picking up every complaint coming from his empty stomach. He got up and started searching in the dark to see if there was anything to eat in the room by any chance. Using his nose primarily since he couldn't see, he carefully picked his way around the full perimeter of the room, feeling here and there and sniffing. After circling for the fifth time, he got fed up.

"Owch! Guess I still can't find anything, then?" Ratchet said to himself, after bumping his nose on the door. Sighing, he sat cross-legged with his head leaning forward on the door. "I wonder what the others are doing?"

* * *

_30 more minutes later…._

"Here, lombax, lombax, lombax….I have some brand new, space ship mods here with me…."

Qwark slowly made his way down the hall way, looking left and right in different rooms for Ratchet. He was still paranoid about getting jumped, and every now and again he would glance behind himself.

"Oh come on, where can one little yellow fuzzy cat get to? He's probably out there with his giant yarn collection." Qwark scoffed. Then he quickly did a 360, looking left and right. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that! Don't jump me!" He froze, his arms squeezed tight to his sides.

When nothing happened, he continued down the hallway, albeit cautiously.

"…I never realized how quiet it is without Ratchet around…" Qwark muttered out loud. "It's kinda weird without hearing him blather on about his new inventions or the new modification he's made to whatever vehicle he has." He stopped a room door and waited for it to open. It had another hallway down it. Taking his chances, Qwark went down this new hallway. There was one door at the very end before this hallway opened up to one adjacent to it.

"He's probably not in there…that's too obvious, even for him…"

Yet he still went to the door. When he tried turning the knob, it wouldn't budge. "What, is it jammed? No matter!" He posed heroically, "No door will hinder my progress! Qwark-_TASTIC_!" Striking a pose, he karate-kicked the door in like a boss.

He jumped into the room, still keeping his hero pose up, rotating his upper body left and right to apprehend any danger that might come from any directi-

Oh.

It was a storage closet.

And wait-the door he just kicked in was moving from it position on the back wall-it fell and he saw an orange-striped ear-

"RATCHET!"

Qwark bounded near, sweeping the already surprised (and annoyed) lombax up, holding him like a rag doll between his hands. "There you are! We've been worried sick about you!"

"Qwark-can you put me down?" Ratchet asked, his ears and tail twitching in annoyance. "You already punched a freaking door in on me. While I was _asleep_."

"Well next time, don't lock yourself in a storage closet!" Qwark told him, unfazed as usual by Ratchet's attitude.

Ratchet rolled his eyes, slight embarrassment riding his features. At that moment, his stomach decided growl loudly, loud enough for Qwark to hear. The lombax blushed deeply enough to see his red cheeks through his fur.

"…and it looks like someone's cranky from not eating anything," Qwark said, holding Ratchet up using his left hand and prodding him in his stomach using his right pointer finger. "When's the last time you've had something in that little furry tummy of yours, anyway?"

"…can't remember." Ratchet growled. He snarled as Qwark poked him in the stomach again. "Qwark! Stop poking me in my gut!"

"Sorry, I forgot how sensitive you were," Qwark said, backing out of the closet still holding Ratchet. "...and you're just right for poking, anyway."

"Can you put me down?" Ratchet repeated. "I really don't want to face the others while being held like I'm a pet."

"Fine, then. Have it your way!" In the past, Qwark always seemed to have the knack of handling Ratchet (and Clank as well usually) roughly when they came in close contact, whether if it was on purpose or not. So it really didn't surprise the Lombax when he felt himself flying through the air in the next few seconds. He landed on his front with his face kissing the floor.

"Well, I guess we'd better tell the others that _I_ found you-"

Four different voices suddenly yelled, "RATCHET!" at the end of the hallway, cutting Qwark off. The green superhero faltered and trailed off, his boast interrupted. Ratchet snickered into the ground, then braced himself for the torrent of people headed his way. He heard metallic footsteps reach him first. He looked up to see Clank's worried face hovering in front of his.

"Ratchet? Are you all right?"

Ratchet was painfully reminded of the same words being spoken to him in his vision, but he knew that Clank was right here, in front of him, not about to float away to wherever. He sighed, then smiled, his first real, genuine one ever since he'd woken up in the caverns.

"Yes, I'm fi-"

_"Then you are in so much trouble!"_ Clank scolded, wagging a finger in the surprised lombax's face. Tawlyn, Cronk, and Zephyr made it over, immediately silenced by Clank's sudden outburst. Ratchet lowered his head, his ears lying flat on his head as he looked up at Clank, ashamed. "Do you know how long you have been missing? We were looking everywhere for you!"

"Clank, I'm-"

"Yes, you are sorry," Clank interrupted, firmly believing it. "But that does not stop me from being upset at your rash decision of running away!" Lifting his gaze from Ratchet's face, he addressed the still-sullen green superhero. "Qwark, where did you find him?"

"Locked in a broom closet." Qwark shrugged. "I had to bust the door in. Granted, he did get pinned behind it-" Clank's mouth opened in surprise and he squinted angrily up at Qwark, who flinched. "…but I still found him, didn't I?"

Clank sighed. "Yes, you did. And thank you. I had full confidence in your assistance. Unlike some people," He added playfully, chuckling twice. In the background, Tawlyn looked as if she didn't know what the hell he was getting at. "But Ratchet, you must learn how to cope with your feelings better. I do not know what is bothering you," Clank tilted his head up gradually, watching the Lombax closely as he slowly pushed himself up into a standing position, "…but whatever you do, do not go running off like that again. You…had me worried." He added in a somewhat sad voice, his head tilted down to the ground.

Ratchet felt a lot worse than he let on, but a remorseful look masked his face as he knelt down in front of Clank, placing a hand on his robotic shoulder. "Buddy, I…I'm sorry. That was real stupid of me, and was really only thinking of myself. I didn't want to release all my emotions on you guys 'cause I hate seeing you get worried. But…"

"Now you see how ironic that is. Correct?" Clank asked, looking up at Ratchet's face and locking eyes. For about a minute, they just stared at each other in silence, completely forgetting about the others around them. Then Ratchet slowly leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Clank in a hug. The robot was taken back for a few moments, then placed his hands around Ratchet's neck, returning it.

* * *

Ratchet was sitting alone on the observation deck, staring up at the billions of stars that dotted the dark and infinite landscape. A sigh escaped his lips. Somebody could really get lost out there. And you would never be able to find them, no longer how hard and long you looked. _Never._

A chill wracked his body as he once again thought of a life without his beloved partner and best friend. It wasn't possible. Life without Clank was just dull and empty. Useless.

He couldn't live without Clank.

It was inexplicable as to why. Yes, Clank was his best friend, but there was something else about him. Something that was…special. But he couldn't place his finger on it. Clank was always there for him, whether a bad situation or not, and always seemed to make things better by just being there.

Even when he and Ratchet argued, which was rarely, they always made up fairly quickly, always laughing about whatever stupid thing they'd been fussing about.

When Clank first crash landed on Veldin that day, Ratchet didn't have a clue that he would become so important to him. At that moment, he and Clank were just working together, mostly trying to stop Drek from destroying the Solana Galaxy-key word mostly, considering Ratchet was screwing around for at least 95% of the mission. But in the midst of that, there'd been a snag, caused by Captain Qwark, who else? And they'd been steamed at each other for awhile, literally jumping down each other's throats at every chance they got. For quite awhile it seemed it would stay like that, but then came the moment where Clank had been knocked senseless by a stray bolt of lightning while on Ratchet's back. After that, the lombax naturally let off him a bit, his cynical humor returning in favor of the cold attitude he'd had previously.

But then all nonsense stopped when they'd found out Drek was targeting Veldin.

That's when Ratchet snapped into focus, finally having his full attention at the matter at hand. It had been selfish of him then, now that he realized, to fully cooperate when his planet was in danger after so many before had been ransacked or destroyed. But that aside, he and Clank managed to confront and apparently kill Drek, whose machine malfunctioned, sending him skyrocketing into his about-to-be-destroyed synthetic planet.

Not very long after that, they ironically found their lives in danger as soon as their quest was over. Clank, not being able to support Ratchet's weight as they both hung from the metal rafters, dropped, sending them both plummeting to the ground. Right when Ratchet was about to slam into the hard, familiar ground of the planet they'd just saved, Clank saved him by merely inches using his thruster pack. The robot's arm had been damaged by the weight put on it as they were hanging, and that's when Ratchet noticed it after the robot swapped his wings back for arms.

For a second it may have seemed like he was abandoning Clank, as Ratchet soon left the robot by himself, sitting on the ground with a damaged arm. Then, he came back, not really intending to leave Clank at all and also proposing to fix the robot's broken arm. They walked off, ending their first adventure of many together.

"Our first of many." Ratchet said to himself aloud. He chuckled lightly. "Oh, if only we knew how much awaited us in the following years…"

He skipped ahead several years, to the Polaris incident.

It still haunted him to this day, how his futile attempts of rescuing Clank where in vain, and he had to stand and watch his best friend get dragged away to only God knows where.

Then he was just there. No tears, no words, _nothing_. He just couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe that he had his friend snatched right before his eyes. To him, it was as if things just couldn't possibly get worse-the only source of information on his past was now locked away in another dimension, and they'd been through so much to find out the truth of who Ratchet was, where he came from. He'd been that close to joining the rest of his kind, but he couldn't do that. He already had a galaxy to save, and he couldn't leave his friends behind-ones who'd promised to support any decision he'd make. And then the closest one was taken from him. It was jarring.

But two years later, they'd been reunited. And that's all that mattered now.

It seemed that they had gotten closer afterwards, Ratchet purposely calling Clank 'pal' or 'buddy' just to show how much he felt for the robot.

Something from earlier popped into his head. Something that he said-

_I need you, Clank…you're the only family I have…without you, I'm alone…_

Family…that was it. His subconscious had been playing tricks on him. While he couldn't exactly understand his connection with Clank while he actually thought about it, within his mind he'd reserved that Clank was family.

"Which is why I said it when I was having that vision." Ratchet muttered. "Even then, I said it subconsciously, not really thinking about it. But now, I realize that's true."

Clank had always been there to scold him if he did something stupid or just plain annoying, like hiding the Science Channel magazines that Clank had left out to read earlier, or being purposely loud and obnoxious at the dinner table, or leaving weapons and gadgets lying around, so many that Clank couldn't walk. With a laugh, he remembered one particular time:

_"Ratchet. RATCHET!"_

_"Yeah, yeah, Clank, I'm coming!" Ratchet had said as he trudged into the living room with his old Glider slung over his shoulder. "What?"_

_"Notice anything about me?" Clank had asked snarkily, moving his hands in a downwards sweeping moment. At that moment, he had been at the front door, just having come back from grocery shopping. The bags were sitting next to him, most of them taller than the robot. However, his way was cluttered by the multitude of items on the floor: Screws, rusty bolts, machine parts, empty pizza boxes, soda cans, along with a TON of weapons like the RYNO III, the Combustor, the Blaster, the Constructo Pistol, several Chopper blades, a Razor Claw, the Liquid Nitrogen Gun, the Thundersmack, the Morph-o-Ray, a few Groovitron globes, the Warmonger, the Lancer, the other Razor Claw, the Visibomb gun, the Constructo Shotgun, the Rift Inducer, several unactivated Megaturret pods, the Negotiator, the Frost Cannon, the Devastator, the Disk Blade Gun, the Cryomine Glove, several unactivated Mag-nets, two or three Tankbots scuttling around and over junk, and the Predator Launcher, along with gadgets like the Hydrodisplacer, the Decryptor, the Sonic Summoner, the Gelanator, the OmniSoaker, the first model of the Swingshot, the Gyrocycle, the Dynamo, the Thermonater, the Trespasser, a Gadgetron PDA, the Shrink Ray, the O2 mask and the Refractor. All of this blocked Clank in near the door, and he really couldn't go anywhere but out again. He could barley see over the ocean or machinery anyway._

_Ratchet's eyebrows shot up. "Of course I noticed! Clank, how'd manage to get these bags here? Most of 'em are tall as you!"_

_Clank smacked a hand on his face, dragging it down. "Ugh. I mean," He gestured across the room. "Look at this mess! How am I supposed to get in the house? I can't even move three feet in! Not to mention, I was only gone for an hour! How did you manage to create such a mess in a short span of time?!"_

_"Oh, this stuff," Ratchet said, glancing down at the completely obscured floor. "Yeah, I was just testing weapons out at the firing range today." He grinned suddenly. "They had to kick me out when they saw the RYNO III get whipped out."_

_"Where are there also gadgets on the floor?"_

_"Uh, modifications?" Ratchet replied, shifting the Glider on his back. "I was just equipping this baby with dual propulsion rockets. When I'm done, it won't be called the Glider any more…" He saw the look on Clank's face. "What?"_

_"Did you not hear me? I need to get across the room!" Clank placed his hand on his hips._

_Ratchet blew air out the left corner of his mouth. Setting the Glider down he looked across the room at Clank, squinting. "Hmm."_

_"I know that we are separated by this sea of rubbish but must you squint? Do you need glasses?" Clank asked, a bit confused as to why Ratchet was looking back and forth between them-and why he was suddenly crouching down._

_"I-I'm trying to-" Ratchet started, then he sprang up, leaping across the room._

_Fortunately, he gauged the width a bit too small, and he landed two feet from Clank-on the handle of some unidentified weapon or gadget. Yelping, Ratchet slipped right on it and landed flat on his back, wheezing._

_Clank stared for a moment, then put his hands up to his mouth, giggling. Ratchet lifted his head up, and this made Clank laugh even harder when he saw a banana peel hanging off of it. Where it came from, he didn't know since he didn't see it earlier. Ratchet felt something wet hanging off his ear, and he flicked it forward with a sly grin, sending the peel flying at Clank. It whapped the robot in the head, mid-laugh. Now it was the lombax's turn to crack up, seeing it covering the still robot's head completely. Clank grabbed it, throwing it to the side-then he started chortling again._

_Ratchet leaned back on something. He felt a soft click._

_"Oh, shit."_

_Suddenly the whole room was blazing as whatever weapon Ratchet managed to activate began spewing round everywhere-it looked like the Blaster. Dozen of white-hot energy pellets started flying all over the room, leaving scorch marks on whatever they hit. Moving forward quickly, Ratchet covered Clank with his body and they both ended up ducking behind the couch. For some reason, the weapon wouldn't stop shooting. It was sputtering and jumping across the floor, continually spewing bullets._

_"What the heck? Why is it still-shooting?!" Ratchet cried over all the chaos._

_"Something must be jamming the trigger!" Clank shouted. "I'm not surprised, considering all the mess in the room!"_

_Suddenly, they heard several explosions from behind the couch. Ratchet and Clank looked at each, their eyes wide. Slowly and cautiously, they peeked out from behind the couch. They saw two Tankbot spiders scuttling back and forth, occasionally shooting right at the malfunctioning gun. They'd sensed a threat and had opted to destroy whatever it was. An orange light emanated from one's twin turrets as it charged up another explosive shot. Ratchet's Blaster fired off its last shot, this one flying in Ratchet and Clank's direction. Ducking, they looked behind themselves at the wall that had a new burn mark on it._

_"Well, at least it went through all 200 rounds," Ratchet told Clank sheepishly grinning. Then he remembered the Tankbots. "Oh, crap! I gotta go get my Blaster before they destroy it!" He snuck around the couch quickly, seeing the spiders still charging up. Ratchet's Blaster sat lifeless in the middle, about to get blown to smithereens. The lombax moved forward quickly, knocking the spiders out the way and snatching up his weapon. Now thinking that Ratchet was their new target, they turned to him, whirring threateningly. Ratchet backed up slowly, his eyes darting back and forth between them; they were flanking him on both sides and he didn't know which one would decide to shoot first. Clank ran forward suddenly, trapping one under an overturned wastebasket. "Ratchet!"_

_"I don't know when it's gonna stop charging up," Ratchet said, keeping his eyes on the glowing turret protruding out the spider's back. "I knew I shouldn't have programmed A.I.s into these models!"_

_"You gave them sentience?" Clank asked dully, his half closed eyes focused on Ratchet. The basket shifted forward then started moving around randomly on the floor, taking Clank wherever it went. Clank's unamused expression as he stared at Ratchet while being dragged around caused the lombax to crack up. The Tankbot lifted its turret threateningly, and Ratchet shut up immediately._

_"Now who's laughing?"Clank asked as he did so. Suddenly the wastebasket stopped, then glowed a bright orange. Clank quickly used his Helipack to get away. Seconds later, the wastebasket exploded._

_"Well, that's one-" Ratchet said, looking down at the second Tankbot-which started glowing orange as well. Swearing, he jumped backwards as it self-destructed as well. Staring at the place where the thing had exploded, Ratchet put a hand to his chest. "Woo! That was close. Well, I know what I'm doing tonight-reprogramming these Tankbots back to the way Megacorp manufactured them…" He looked up at Clank, who was giving him a stern look with folded hands._

_Ratchet rubbed the back of his head, shuffling his feet. "I mean…I can clean up this mess all over the floor…" He glanced up at the robot, then they both burst out into laughter._

Ratchet snickered slightly at the memory. Ah, an average day with Clank, that day was. In that situation, the robot had reminded him of a maternal like figure, commanding him to do something he didn't want to do.

He _hated_ cleaning up his room.

But Clank was always there to make sure the lombax was picking up after himself. Like a mom. Or a dad. Or…both.

And, no matter what, Clank had always seemed like a little brother to him. Not just because of his small size, but his curiosity and naivety were that of a young child. They would spend time doing anything together. Whether if it was watching Holo-vid, playing the VG-10000, making a new gadget, modifying a space ship or some other vehicle, or just sitting in each other's presence silently reading. And definitely saving 1+ galaxies was one.

Any moment together with Clank was any great moment to Ratchet.

Ratchet felt something wet running down his face, and he brushed it away instinctively. He then realized that his face and muzzle where damp, the faint lines traveling down his face. He'd been crying and he hadn't even noticed.

Ratchet sniffled, wiping more tears from his eyes. Thinking about past times with Clank always made him cry, especially when he thought of the big adventures they'd had. It was just so...surreal how much they'd been through and how close they'd gotten after all these years.

They'd come a long ass way since they had first met on Veldin.

He suddenly felt something on his shoulder, and he whipped out his Omniwrench in defense, about to turn and strike.

"Do not worry, Ratchet. It is just me."

Ratchet turned and saw green optics staring at him, no doubt taking in the lombax's tearstained face. "Ratchet…"

Clank watched his best friend turn to face front again, hiding his face. It wasn't from shame, he could tell, but from…something…

"Ratchet…do you want to talk?"

"…."

"Please, Ratchet. I do not like to see you like this. Please, just tell me what is wrong."

"…Clank."

The robot leaned forward. "Yes?"

"You…you meant it when you said you would never leave me for any reason…right?"

"Of course I did. I could not possibly be any more sincere about it." Clank told him, smiling a little. He walked up next to Ratchet and sat down, staring up at the space-filled sky with Ratchet. For a few minutes, they both silently observed the ever-infinite cosmos. Then Ratchet said,

"Clank, I…I need to tell you something…"

"I am all hearing receptors." The robot said, almost cheerfully.

"While…while we were at Deprimere Caverns…remember that…dream I told you I had?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well…I had a vision that I woke up inside the room we were actually in, right?" Ratchet began. Clank nodded. "But I was in a dream, and I didn't know it yet. So when I uh, 'woke' up in the dream I guess…you were there…and…" The lombax paused, tempting the robot to look at him.

"Yes?" Clank pressed.

"You…you had said that I…that I was better off dead," Ratchet said slowly. "Because I was so reckless. And then you…well, the fake you…ran away, out of the Caverns and I followed," Ratchet lifted his hands from his lap a few inches and let them drop. "Because I thought it was real. It seemed so real, Clank." He drew in a slow breath, his eyes closed tightly. "Then you were crossing that gap that we had to Levitate over to get to the Cavern entrance. You left me. You left me, and you said that you didn't want to have anything to do with me. That I would spend the rest of my life alone stranded there. That I would relive the nightmare I had days before. That you were never my friend." Ratchet swallowed the lump in his throat. It was getting really hard not to cry. Apparently he hadn't relived his emotions as much as he thought he had.

"So then, I went back to the cavern," Ratchet continued, quietly. Clank watched him closely, listening to the sadness in his voice. It was terrible. He'd never heard or even seen Ratchet this upset. It was…unnerving. "…and for a few minutes, I was just lying on the ground, wanting you to come back…and then I heard your voice. It was you again. But this time…you were floating…and you said you had duties to tend to. I called out to you, but you were gone. You said goodbye, even…and then you floated away." Ratchet fell silent. Clank was eerily reminded of the time when he had been taken by the Zoni.

"The way you floated away…brought back bad memories. When you got taken by the Zoni," Ratchet said, unknowingly echoing Clank's thoughts. "And I couldn't do a thing about it. Then there was another time…I…I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating or not…but when Tawlyn and I were out looking for you, we got kicked to this place called Hoolifar Island. I was knocked out for a moment…but then I woke up. To your voice. You were calling me. And," Ratchet looked dead at his best friend, "I saw you floating there, surrounded by this weird light. And then you asked me…If I was all right. It's strange, because you asked me the exact same thing in my vision…and then you disappeared." Ratchet's nose twitched slightly. "I remember waking up and calling for you. Of course you weren't there. But it seemed so real." Ratchet's voice cracked slightly. "It seemed so real."

The lombax fell silent, staring up again at the endless vacuum of space.

"Is…is that why I heard you gasp earlier if I asked you if you were all right?"

Ratchet nodded, slowly.

Clank lowered his head, feeling a bit guilty. He should've known. Ratchet didn't want to be separated in the Caverns because of his recent nightmare, and had embraced him after he'd woken up from his vision because what he feared had made itself real in his subconscious.

The robot stood up, moving in front of Ratchet. The lombax looked up, raising his head slightly.

"Ratchet." Clank began firmly, not taking his eyes off of his friend. "No matter what happens, always know that I will always be there for you. I do not care if you dream otherwise, if some one misinforms you, or it is just you doubting your value as a worthy friend. You are a friend to me, a very close one that is irreplaceable. I will never leave you on my own power, and I will ensure that I will not be stripped from your side again," Clank placed his hands on Ratchet's shoulders; the lombax's face was twitching. "I told myself that I could not stand by and watch as you continue to not have a family. I wanted you to have a family, like I do. I have a mom and a dad. But you, Ratchet, are always here by me. To me, you are my entire family in itself and that is what matters. Family never leaves family. No matter what. I can only assume you feel the same way," Ratchet nodded at him. "And that is why I believe our friendship has grown unusually so in these past years we have spent together. We both thought that we lacked what we didn't have, while really what we were looking for was with us the entire time. Never would I have thought that we would be the friends we are today when we first met on Veldin that day, Ratchet," The lombax looked at him, biting his lip. He'd thought the same thing minutes ago. "But now I do see what we have become. I want to thank you Ratchet, for being such a good friend. We have had our hardships, but eventually we pulled through them together. I am thankful to have you as my friend, and just know that I will never leave you. _Never_."

Ratchet was now staring at him with teary eyes, his eyebrows drawn together, and was now shaking; Clank grew worried for a moment because he didn't know why his friend was trembling. It wasn't cold, he wasn't angry, he wasn't laughing…so what was it?

Suddenly, Ratchet grabbed him, wrapping his arms around the robot tightly and pulling him close. Then he let loose completely, sobbing and crying hard all over Clank. His head was resting on Clank's, and the robot felt every single tear from the lombax's eyes land on his head and run down his body. Ratchet held the little robot, shaking as he cried onto his best friend. He knew he could cry while he was with Clank now. He would understand. He'd never been so happy, relived, and sad in his life. Ratchet shook his head in remorse, wishing he'd saved himself the pain of revisiting his fear and doubting his and Clank's relationship.

"Cl-clank…I…I'm s-s-sorry…" Ratchet shuddered.

"It is all right, Ratchet," Clank said, his voice slightly muffled. "Just cry all that you need to. I will be here with you."

Ratchet broke down again, coating the robot in a fresh wave of tears. Through it all, Clank was thinking how lucky he was to have Ratchet as a friend. He was so stubborn he didn't want to see others worry, so he let himself go through uneeded emotional trauma. He had cared about his friends more than himself. It caught up in the end, but Clank truly knew it was an act of selflessness.

* * *

_**...I really feel like this is some of my better writing. The characters weren't OOC, and I can actually picture a convo going on like that between Ratchet and Clank. I want to know how I did, so leave a comment please!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Final chapter :D**

**Qwark makes some not so subtle RxC hints**

* * *

Ratchet had finally tired himself out about an hour later. He had stopped crying, but he sat crosslegged, holding Clank tightly in an embrace. After awhile he had fallen asleep, his head still resting on Clank's as he slept, with his mouth slightly open as he snored. Clank didn't mind, of course. He had done what he needed to do; releasing all of that pent up emotion can really tire out a person. But no doubt he'll feel a lot better when he wakes up.

"Clank?"

…which was right now.

"Yes, Ratchet?"

"I just wanted you to know that I totally agree with you about our family-like relationship." Ratchet said, lifting his head up and looking up at the sky. Clank turned in Ratchet's lap and sat, looking upwards also. "I mean, you're like a mom, a dad, and a brother to me. I guess that's why I was so depressed when you were gone for those two years. But," Ratchet smiled slightly. "We're back together, everything's back to normal for the most part…"

There was a pause, then Clank added, "Qwark is still Qwark."

They both laughed. "Yeah, that too." Ratchet chortled. "But I never realized how empty I'd feel without you. Now that I know…I don't ever wanna feel that again."

"You won't." Was all Clank said.

They sat in silence, staring up at the dark sky. Then Clank felt the back of his head vibrate for a few seconds. Confused, the robot turned his head around. Was Ratchet growling at something? Then Clank heard it again, finally realizing that his friend's belly was rumbling. His head had been resting on the lombax's stomach, and those were the vibrations he'd felt. Ratchet, this time around, was completely oblivious, continually staring off into space.

"Speaking of being empty," Clank chuckled and prodded Ratchet in the stomach, earning him a surprised look from the organic, "Your stomach is growling, Ratchet."

Ratchet lifted up an eyebrow, confused. "It is? I didn't notice at all. Ugh," He sat back and placed a hand on his stomach, his ears drooping. "And I just realized how hungry I am. I haven't eaten in at least twelve hours!"

"Well, let us go get something to eat," Clank said, climbing out of Ratchet's lap. "Do you want to stay here and get something to eat, or do you want to return to Solana and go to the Galaxy Burger there? They have the special ice cream that you like."

"Hoven's Chocolate Sundae Special…" Ratchet closed his eyes. Then he shook a hand, "_Naaahhh_…we still gotta find these nutcases that sent us to Deprimere Caverns in the first place. Because now that I think about it," the lombax's face darkened. "They knew that we'd go-and one of us would get trapped in our own personal nightmares," He paused, then looked at Clank, his face serious. "It was a distraction, Clank. And it sure as hell worked."

"Well, we have gotten over their hurdle," Clank said. His eyes narrowed as he added, "We will make sure we find them and stop their scheming. We do not know if they are merely anti-Qwarkists who are trying to scare him and his associates so he won't run again or if they are planning something big. Something physical."

"Whatever it is, we'll make sure that we'll be prepared for it," Ratchet stood up, stretching and getting the kinks out his back. "But right now, let's just go get something to eat."

He and Clank walked out the room together, turning down into the hallway.

Right into Captain Qwark.

"Oh, hey there, guys!" The green superhero said a bit too cheerfully. "I was just walking through the neighborhood and was like, Hey, why don't I go check on Ratchet and Clank? So I came…and I saw you two having a bit of a moment together...It was one of the most beautiful moments I have seen between two heterosexual life partners, _ever_!"

Ratchet's eyes ignited in flames as he glared at Qwark. "You..._were spying on us?!_ How much did you see?!"

Clank had an equally angry look on his face as well. "You had no right to listen in on us! It was a private conversation! I had been wondering why I saw you loitering outside of this room and Ratchet was in it!"

"Aw, come on, guys! I won't tell anyone, I promise!" Qwark raised up his hands. "It's a private guy thing." He snorted a bit as he muttered, "Next thing you know, they'll be _kissing_ each other in the bathroom."

Ratchet yelled _**"WHAT?!"**_as Clank simply dropped his angry look for a shocked one. Ratchet pulled his wrench out, smacking it against the open palm of his left hand. "You're dead now, you know that, right?"

"Hey, I was just being realistic-ow!" Ratchet smacked his wrench against Qwark's leg, making him hop on one foot, clutching it. "Owww! Geez-I'm outta here!" Then the green superhero stumbled off quickly down the hallway on one leg, occasionally bumping and crashing into the wall.

"Forget eating, I'm gonna deal with him first. You mind?" Ratchet asked Clank, who replied, "Go ahead, take your time."

The lombax shot off like an arrow, a lot faster and nimble in comparison to Qwark. The latter looked over his shoulder and saw a golden blur headed right at him, raising a blue and grey object above its head.

"Hey whoa, easy there-_(__**THWACK**__)_ _Aouwhh!_ Okay I'm sorry-"

"You don't mean that!"

"Yes I (_**THWACK**_) OUCH, I do!"

"Do not!"

"Do to! (**_ZAAPPP!_**) OWWW, that's not fair, kinetic tethers are illegal!"

"In Solana they're not. (**_ZAAPPP!_**)"

"OOOOooooohhh!"

Clank watched with amusement at the one-sided scrap going on in front of him. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Tawlyn kneeling down next to him.

"Clank, Qwark told us what happened," Tawlyn began, and seeing the annoyed look in Clank's face, she added, "…and it's none of our business, but that was a very sweet thing you did. You got through to Ratchet," She looked up at the spar taking place in front of her, "And you brought him back."

Clank smiled a little at this, and replied, "I am only doing my job, Tawlyn."

For the longest time, they sat and watched Ratchet beating Qwark over the head with his wrench, ignoring the fact that the superhero was cowering in a corner with his hands over his head. It looked normal, so it meant that everything was back to normal. Ratchet was happy again (Clank assumed this by the maniacal grin on the lombax's face as he beat Qwark up), fully knowing the prospect that his friend would never again be separated from him.

A normal day with Ratchet, that day was.

* * *

**I plan to make this lead into another series, because as Ratchet and Clank were discussing, everything in this story pretty much happened because it was a distraction; this will definitely be referenced later on in another series and we'll find out who sent them to Deprimere Caverns.**


End file.
